


Condensation

by Smediterranea



Series: A Heated Exchange [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Misunderstandings, One Shot, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:20:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25775029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smediterranea/pseuds/Smediterranea
Summary: “Zuzu!” Azula says, barely containing a laugh. “Did you have a one night stand? I’m so proud I could cry.”“Shut up,” he growls. “And that’s not what I meant. I know who sheisI just… don’t really know how to contact her.”“You didn’t get her number,” Mai says disapprovingly. “Rookie mistake.”Zuko groans. Getting scolded by his ex-girlfriend on not being able to properly hook up with someone is more than his fragile ego can bear.AU College, follow up to Katara and Zuko's one night stand in Blowing Off Steam
Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Series: A Heated Exchange [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1869856
Comments: 70
Kudos: 828





	Condensation

**Author's Note:**

> Forgot that I wrote this a while back, so here's something to fuel your weekend ;)
> 
> This picks up after Blowing Off Steam - recommended you read that first but probably not necessary. Enjoy!

One of Zuko’s favorite childhood memories was when his cousin Lu Ten would drive him to jiu-jitsu practice. Lu Ten had always been unbelievably cool: ten years older than Zuko, a black belt in jiu-jitsu already, with impeccable taste in music. Zuko would loudly sing along with his cousin even though he barely understood the lyrics. His favorite had been his cousin’s favorite: Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘Mo Money Mo Problems’.

It was only much later that Zuko had found the thesis of the song to be true. Money had only brought problems to his family. Zuko’s father, Ozai, was filled with insatiable greed for as long as Zuko could remember. His father’s avarice had lead to him plotting against his own brother for control of the family company. Ozai used his money to control and manipulate everyone around him, including his own children.

After Zuko’s mother died, Zuko’s whole life had revolved around money. His father complained about how much it cost to raise him and made it clear that Zuko would be expected to join the family business to repay this debt. Ozai had paid for Zuko’s college tuition under strict guidelines. Whenever Ozai sent Zuko an angry missive demanding proof of his grades and course schedule, Zuko would blast Notorious B.I.G. until his neighbors banged on the walls for him to turn it down.

Zuko had reevaluated his opinion on the song’s message when he turned twenty-one. Unbeknownst to him, his mother had had a lot of family money squirreled away, and she had kept an iron-clad fist protecting it for her children, even after her death. A trust had been established for Zuko and his sister Azula, one big enough that Zuko could pay his own college tuition and keep himself afloat without his father for at least a few years. Zuko wasted absolutely no time in revising his stance: sometimes, ‘mo’ money’ could fix problems.

Zuko had been known to be impulsive. He had spent most of his adolescence struggling to contain his rage and hurt , and had done his best in college to subdue his temper. The discovery of his sudden inheritance, however, led to a resurgence of impulsive behavior. He had taken over his own finances and tuition fees, changed his major, quit his internship, and filed to legally change his last name to his mother’s. Zuko would argue that none of these actions were truly impulsive — most of them required rather a lot of paperwork.

His coup de grace, however, had been something even Zuko had not expected to happen. Azula had always been their father’s favorite, and Zuko assumed that his estrangement from his father would mean leaving behind his sister as well. He had not wanted to do this; despite his own difficulties with his sister, he still loved her and knew that she had been damaged by their father’s cruelty just as much as he had. He had taken it upon himself to tell Azula about the trust — she would not be old enough to access hers for another two years — and he had even offered to pay her tuition while she waited for access. He had offered her a way out, but he was surprised when she took it.

Ozai had been furious. The loss of his worthless son was of no consequence to him, but losing his talented and ambitious daughter was quite a blow. He had raged and threatened, but Azula was legally an adult, and she was clearly uninterested in ever speaking to Ozai again. Zuko had wondered why until he saw Azula out with one of her old friends, Ty Lee. They were pressed up against the wall of one of the science buildings, kissing as if their lives depended on it. Zuko had quickly averted his gaze, but at least Azula’s decision made sense to him now. Among his many failings, Ozai was also a huge homophobe.

Zuko’s life had been unquestionably better over the past few months. He was working hard trying to catch up after switching majors from finance to computer science, but it was much more fun to create things than to schmooze and shake hands. He had even met one cool guy in his data structures class; Zuko liked to imagine how horrified Ozai would be to know that Zuko was willingly associating with someone who had an undercut and tattoos. His other impulsive decisions had turned out well, too: the freedom from his stupid internship, the thrill of his new last name on his debit card, the ability to check his phone without fear of a cruel message from his father.

He had not, however, anticipated waking up this morning with a very beautiful, and very naked, woman in his bed.

The previous evening returns to him in flashes: Katara showing up at his door, dressed to kill, insistent that he had had the wrong impression of her. He knows he should feel guilty that she had twisted her ankle in those ridiculous shoes, but given everything that followed — her coming inside to sit for a minute, their brief conversation as they had watched Planet Earth together, and the most fun evening of his entire life — well, he had never been so grateful for the instability of stilettos.

Katara stirs and Zuko briefly panics. Zuko may have been an impulsive teenager when it came to most things, but he had guarded his heart very carefully. He’s only ever slept with one person — his ex-girlfriend, Mai — and they had known each other quite well before that. He barely knows anything about Katara except that she apparently lives down the hall and she is really, ridiculously attractive. Oh, and she liked nature documentaries, but that was hardly enough information to go on. What was he supposed to say? ‘ _Hey, thanks for the sex last night — would you like to watch some some more David Attenborough with me sometime?’_

The thought only makes Zuko’s stomach clench tighter. Perhaps this a one-time thing? That had not been discussed the previous evening. In fact, Zuko did not remember much discussion after she had taken off her skin-tight dress to reveal that she was wearing absolutely nothing underneath.

Katara rolls over to face him, blinking at the light streaming through the half-closed blinds.

“What time is it?” she croaks.

“Uh, ten-thirty.”

Zuko normally gets up much earlier than this, even on weekends, usually for jiu-jitsu practice. However, the physical exertion of the previous evening — coupled with the fact that they had engaged in three rounds of fun before they had finally called it a night — meant that he was feeling a little groggier than usual.

“Shit,” Katara says, leaping upwards. “I’m late.”

Zuko watches as Katara shimmies back into her dress. Somehow, this is just as erotic as her stripping out of it. She has to bounce a bit to tug it up past her hips, and the effect is mesmerizing.

“Uh,” Zuko says finally, shaking his head to clear it. “D’you… need a ride somewhere or something?”

“I’m good,” she says quickly. “Just have to run home and change. I’m supposed to meet my friends for brunch.”

Zuko shoves on a pair of boxers and follows awkwardly as Katara walks out to the living room to find her purse and shoes. She sends a quick text — presumably to tell her friends she will be late — before heading for the door.

“Um,” she says, going slightly pink. “Last night was really fun.”

“Yeah,” Zuko agrees, wishing he could think of something better to say.

“Maybe I’ll see you around?” Katara says tentatively.

“Yeah,” Zuko repeats with more enthusiasm. “That would be nice.”

Katara grins up at him and kisses him until he’s breathless.

“Sorry, I really have to run,” she says sheepishly as she pulls away.

“No worries,” Zuko says, slightly dazed. “Have fun with your friends.”

“Thanks!”

Her smile makes him feel a rush of warmth. He shuts the door as she walks away, shuffling back over to his bed to flop down top of it.

“What the fuck just happened?” he says aloud, voice muffled by his pillow.

He rolls over and stares at the ceiling, trying to memorize every detail of the night before. It is only after several minutes pass that he realizes he has a big problem.

“ _Fuck_ ,” he curses to the empty room, dashing to the front door.

He peers out into the hall, but there’s no sign of Katara. She had mentioned she lived on his floor, but for the life of him he could not remember where precisely. He hadn’t gotten her phone number, or even her last name. 

In short, he was fucked, and this time not in the good way.

Zuko paces his empty apartment, shirtless and pantsless, trying to think of a plan. He really, _really_ wanted to see Katara again, but panic was making it hard to think straight. He needed some advice, someone to tell him what to do. Usually he would call his uncle, Iroh, but Iroh was at a spa retreat that weekend. Zuko knew his uncle would absolutely drop everything to help him, but he wanted his uncle to have this rare moment of peace. Lu Ten had newborn twins to deal with, and was probably too sleep-deprived to give good advice at this stage. Zuko did have the phone number for his one friend in his CS class, but they didn’t exactly have that kind of friendship yet. This left only one option, and it was a testament to just how desperate Zuko was that he used it.

_Zuko: Need advice — Ling’s coffee at 11 on me?(10:43AM)_

By the time he arrives at the coffee shop, Azula has already taken residence in the best nook in the shop, leafing through a book about gender politics. Zuko approaches, dropping off his jacket on one of the nearby stools.

“Black coffee?” he asks. 

“And a muffin,” Azula adds, barely looking up from her book.

This is unusual, as neither Zuko nor Azula eats breakfast. This is a holdover from after their mother’s untimely death — a family friend had brought over multiple eggy casseroles that she had insisted was ‘the perfect breakfast.’ After weeks of trying to stomach it, neither Zuko nor Azula could stand the sight of eggs anymore, and had given up breakfast entirely. Still, Zuko assumes it’s only polite to follow Azula’s lead now, so he orders two black coffees and two blueberry muffins for them to share.

When he arrives back at the table, Azula is flanked by her girlfriend, Ty Lee, and other best friend, Mai. Even though Zuko and Mai weren’t on unfriendly terms, Zuko cannot think of anyone he wants to talk to less about his dilemma than his ex-girlfriend. Well, except his father, of course, but Zuko would prefer to never speak to him again if he could help it.

Zuko sets the coffee and muffins down on the table, glowering at Azula.

“I knew I could count on you to get two,” Azula says, grabbing the muffins. She hands one to Ty Lee. “You’re not going to eat this, right?”

“Azula, this was supposed to be a _private_ conversation.”

“You didn’t specify that in your text,” Azula says breezily. She hands the other muffin to Mai. “Now, what’s this all about?”

“It’s about a girl, isn’t it?” Mai asks, giving him an evaluating stare. She knows him well enough to remember the things he doesn’t like to talk about with others: his father, his recurring nightmares, and his personal relationships (or lack thereof, usually).

Zuko feels his face redden.

“Oooh!” Ty Lee squeals with excitement. “That’s so great, Zuko! We were getting worried about you. Mai has dated like five people since you broke up — we were starting to think maybe you were still in love with her after all this time.”

Zuko grits his teeth so hard his jaw starts to ache.

“That still doesn’t explain why you wanted to talk to me,” Azula says with a frown. “Unless, of course, you want advice on how to keep her interested. I can offer several strategies”

“Which you should definitely not try,” Mai interrupts, “You’re terrible at mind games, Zuko. And besides, no one likes them anyway.”

Azula shoots Mai an annoyed look. Ty Lee, oblivious, barrels on.

“Oh, yes. Mind games are not the way to go.”

Azula looks even more offended.

“You’re dating me, aren’t you? You don’t seem to dislike my tactics that much.”

“That’s because we have a safe word,” Ty Lee says serenely.

Zuko chokes on his coffee. Azula rolls her eyes.

“If you don’t want my advice on how to win her over, what _do_ you want? Who is this girl anyway?”

“I don’t really know,” Zuko mutters, not meeting her eyes.

“Zuzu!” Azula says, barely containing a laugh. “Did you have a one night stand? I’m so proud I could cry.”

“Shut up,” he growls. “And that’s not what I meant. I know who she _is_ , I just… don’t really know how to contact her.”

“You didn’t get her number,” Mai says disapprovingly. “Rookie mistake.”

Zuko groans. Getting scolded by his ex-girlfriend on not being able to properly hook up with someone is more than his fragile ego can bear.

“Well, what’s her name?” Azula asks. “Maybe Ty Lee knows her. She knows everyone.”

“No way,” Zuko says vehemently. “Ty Lee will blab all sorts of embarrassing stuff about me. She can’t keep her mouth shut.”

Ty Lee looks crestfallen. Azula glares at Zuko with such venom that he shrinks in his seat.

“Apologize,” Azula demands coldly.

“Sorry, Ty Lee,” Zuko mumbles. “I didn’t mean that. I just wanted to keep this private.”

“I forgive you,” Ty Lee says with a smile. Azula is still glaring at him disapprovingly, so Zuko hastily changes the subject.

“Look, I don’t even know why I texted, okay? I just wanted to be able to find her again and I wasn’t sure what to do.”

Azula straightens. She loves telling Zuko what to do, and looks eager to dispense her advice.

“That’s easy,” Azula says in a slightly condescending tone. “How did you meet?”

“In the laundry room.”

“The laundry room… as in your building’s laundry room? She lives in your building?”

“Yeah, she lives on the same floor as me.”

Azula pauses, looking slightly pained.

“Zuko, I am trying very hard not to call you an idiot but…”

“But you already have,” Zuko points out.

“How can you not find her if she lives on your floor?” Azula continues, incredulous.

“I don’t know which apartment she’s in!” Zuko bristles. “All I know is she’s down the hall, but there are like, ten different apartments. How am I supposed to know which one it is? They all look exactly the same.”

“She didn’t tell you which one she lived in?”

Zuko flushes again.

“I think she did, but I can’t remember.”

“Zuko!”

“I didn’t know it was going to be important! She’s the one who knocked on my door last night.”

Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee stare at him.

“Let me get this straight,” Azula says, clearly trying to remain neutral. “You met in the laundry room and last night, she comes to your apartment — unasked — and you have sex with her.”

“Well it sounds weird when you say it like that.”

“It sounds like the plot to a bad porno,” Mai snickers.

“Or a good rom-com!” Ty Lee says excitedly. “Laundry room is a pretty decent meet-cute. Did she accidentally drop a pair of panties in front of you? Were they lacy?”

“No!” Zuko says, horrified at the direction of this conversation. “It wasn’t like that at all. And she didn’t just like, show up and demand to sleep with me. We were talking and we watched Planet Earth first.”

“This porno sounds lame.”

“It wasn’t like that!”

“I think it’s sweet,” Ty Lee says. “And now you’re on a quest to find her! That’s so romantic!”

“It’s not—“ Zuko tries to protest. He stops and sighs. “Look, I think she’s cool, I don’t know which apartment she lives in, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it. That’s all I came here to say, but I don’t know why I bothered…”

Zuko stands to leave, but Azula motions for him to sit. He hesitates, which Azula takes as an indication to proceed.

“Zuko, if you want to find this girl, you’re going to have to do some legwork. Chances are you’ll see her around the building, but maybe you can find her on campus, too. Have you ever seen her around before? Who does she hang out with?”

“I don’t know their names.”

“To be fair, you don’t know anyone except us,” Mai points out.

“I have friends!” Zuko protests. Sure, Zuko only has one actual friend right now, but his friend had friends of his own. With any luck, Zuko could make friends with them, too.

“Whatever,” Azula says impatiently, waving a hand. “The point is, you’re going to have to get out more. Spend time _outside_ your apartment,” she emphasizes, as if this were not clear. “Go to the student center, bars, parties, coffee shops, et cetera.”

“And if that doesn’t work,” Ty Lee adds cheerily, “you could just do a lot of laundry and hope you see her again!”

“Or you could actually knock on the doors of the apartments on your floor,” Mai continues. “But then you’d have to talk to people.” She grimaces at the thought.

“Give it a week,” Azula says. “If you haven’t found her by then, we can help. But you don’t want to look too desperate.”

Zuko lingers for a while longer, mostly because he wants a second cup of coffee. The others transition the conversation away from Zuko’s love life and onto a class they’re sharing. He half-listens to the conversation, trying to brainstorm ways to find Katara again. He comes up with several appealing daydreams of running into her on campus; all of them feature her eagerly rekindling the activities they had been engaged in the night before.

He does his best to follow Azula’s advice over the following week. He tries to look for Katara in the library — he has seen her there several times before — but it’s midterms week and the place is packed. Zuko feels lucky that most of his classes are project-based so he avoids the midterms crunch and he can spend his time looking for Katara. He has no luck in the library or anywhere else. By the end of the week, he starts to fret that his window of opportunity is closing. If he waits much longer to contact her, she might think he was ghosting her when truthfully he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about her. He starts considering knocking on doors — even if he looks slightly insane, it would be worth it, wouldn’t it?

Before he can make good on this idea, he gets a text from his CS friend.

_Sokka: Hey man! Celebrating end of midterms week - wanna grab some pizza tonight? Appa’s a 8 if you’re down 🤙🤙🤙(4:37PM)_

Zuko recognizes this emoji as Sokka’s trademark hand gesture. Zuko had even found himself mimicking it, although he was sure it looked much cooler when Sokka threw up a shaka than when Zuko did it.

Zuko could use a distraction from his quest, and he strolls into the pizza parlor later that evening. It’s packed with students in varying states of dress — some still in sweats, looking worn out from exams, others dressed to the nines before a night out on the town. Sokka is easy to spot across the room with his half-shaved head and colorful printed shirt.

“What’s up, Zuko?” Sokka says happily. He pulls Zuko into a one-armed hug that makes Zuko feel both embarrassed and pleased. “You get through that problem set yet?”

“Yeah,” Zuko replies. “You?”

“Nah, gonna work on it tomorrow. Is it cool if I call you if I get stuck?”

“Sure,” Zuko says, a small flicker of pride lighting his insides. 

Truthfully, Sokka was more than capable of getting through the work on his own, but Zuko liked that he was in the habit of double-checking with him. At first Zuko had been suspicious that Sokka had wanted to copy his work, but he discovered that Sokka was just a rare extrovert surrounded by a sea of introverted computer science nerds. The fact that Zuko would willingly hold long conversations with Sokka was the reason they became friends in the first place. 

“Have you met Aang and Toph?” Sokka asks, gesturing to the two others already seated in the booth.

“Hi,” Zuko says awkwardly.

“Hey, Zuko! Nice to meet you!” Aang leans over to give Zuko an enthusiastic and complicated handshake. He seems unperturbed at Zuko’s flummoxed expression and grins at him.

“‘Sup?” Toph says from the corner. She gives a jock nod in his general direction and it takes a moment for Zuko to notice the white cane leaning against the booth.

“Zuko’s in my data structures class,” Sokka says by way of explanation. He turns to Zuko to add, “I ordered us some pizzas already, but you can go grab a drink if you want. Oh, and here,” he says, pulling out a crumpled bill. “Put something better on the jukebox. This crap is terrible.”

“There’s a jukebox here?”

“Yup, in the corner.”

“Okay.”

Zuko wanders over to the counter to order a beer, feeling his nerves build. Meeting two new people was already a pretty stressful evening for him, although he had been psyching himself up to socialize a little bit. But he had no idea how many more people were going to show up, and the prospect of selecting something on the jukebox was even more anxiety-producing. He had no idea what sort of music would be the ‘right’ kind.

He hesitates over the jukebox before he makes his selection. He thinks of his drives with Lu Ten and uses the dollar to select a few he remembers. Even if Sokka didn’t like them, Zuko could at least use the excuse that these were classics.

The sound of the baseline follows Zuko back to the table where another woman has joined Sokka and his friends. Sokka catches sight of Zuko and whoops.

“Fuck yeah, man! I knew you were cool!”

Sokka immediately breaks into song, waving his hands as he sings along to OutKast. He pauses enough to introduce his girlfriend, Suki, before launching into the chorus.

Suki gives him a smirk, and Zuko feels a nagging sense of déjà vu. He’s definitely seen her around before — he thinks maybe she even lives on his block. When she speaks, her voice sounds familiar, but he can’t quite place her.

“Nice pick,” Suki says. “Sokka is obsessed with this song.”

“ _I’m sorry Ms. Jackson, ooh!_ ,” Sokka croons. “ _I am for reeeeeal_.”

Suki gives Sokka a fond look as Zuko sits down on the chair at the end of the booth, his back to the rest of the restaurant. Sokka continues to hold court as Toph, Aang and Suki laugh.

“Who put on Sokka’s favorite song?”

Zuko whirls around. Katara stands behind him, a backpack slung over her shoulders. Her eyes widen as she takes him in.

“Katara!” Sokka greets. “This is my friend, Zuko! He’s a CS major with excellent taste in music.”

“Hi,” Katara says, looking amused. “I’m going to go grab a soda,” she adds to the rest of the table. “Anyone need anything?”

They wave her off and Zuko turns back to the rest of the group, his anxiety spiking through the roof. He knows why Suki is familiar now — she is Katara’s _roommate_. And, worse, Katara is Sokka’s _sister_. Zuko had slept with his only friend’s _sister_.The brief elation that he felt at seeing Katara again evaporates.

Fortunately, no one seems to notice Zuko’s panic, not even when Katara rejoins them and squeezes into the booth adjacent to Zuko. For once, Zuko is glad to be a bit on the outside of everyone else. While they all share inside jokes, Zuko can slip back into his panicked mode without anyone the wiser.

Once Zuko’s selections on the jukebox end, the group starts discussing music in earnest. Sokka in particular seems very interested in what Zuko has to say, which is both flattering and nerve-wracking. It takes a lot of willpower to not blurt out ‘I slept with your sister and I can’t stop thinking about her.’ Katara, for her part, looks cool and collected the entire time. Zuko is extremely distracted — every time she so much as giggles, he finds his gaze drawn to her. 

The group agrees on an early night. Despite the fun atmosphere, it’s clear that most of them are tired from a week of exams, and Aang mentions something about an early morning run. Before they leave, most of the group gets up to use the restroom. Zuko is left alone at the table with Toph.

“So, you’ve got the hots for Katara, huh?”

Zuko practically jumps out of his skin.

“What? How do you —?”

“I’ve got a sense for these things,” Toph says smugly. “Also, Katara told me you guys hooked up.”

“She did?”

“Oh, yeah. Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun, too.”

Zuko is somehow both mortified and proud to hear this. Toph’s grin widens.

“Don’t worry, Sokka hasn’t connected the dots.”

“I didn’t know they were related,” Zuko says hastily. “I had no idea —“

Toph snorts.

“Don’t get all ‘bros before hoes’ on me.”

“I would never call Katara a… that,” Zuko finishes lamely.

Toph shrugs.

“Well, Sokka will get over it. I mean, you are going to ask her out, aren’t you? If you guys are just hooking up, that’s cool, but you seem like, really into her.”

“It was that obvious?” Zuko says, feeling slightly ashamed.

“Not really,” Toph says. “I just like making bold accusations. Usually makes people confirm my suspicions. And now I know you like Katara!”

Zuko is momentarily speechless, and then lets out a snort of laughter.

“Impressive,” he says with a smile.

“I know. I’m the best.”

They rise from the booth after the rest of the group returns and they part ways for the night. Aang and Toph hop on a bus passing by; Suki leaves to walk back to Sokka’s place and gives Katara a rather pointed look. Zuko catches a faint blush on Katara’s face and he feels his insides squirm.

They trudge through the throng of students out enjoying the evening, tension thick between them.

“So, uh,” Zuko starts awkwardly. “How did your exams go?”

“Pretty well, I think,” Katara says. “You?”

Zuko shakes his head.

“Didn’t have any.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

The silence feels unbearable. Zuko wonders if perhaps this was a mistake. He hardly knew Katara — maybe they had nothing in common after all.

“Do you want to watch Planet Earth tonight?”

Zuko blinks.

“Really?”

“I thought you liked it,” Katara says, looking slightly abashed.

“I do!” Zuko says quickly. “We can watch it together. That would be nice.”

The tension is back, but this time it feels exciting and not awkward. Zuko can feel his blood pounding. He wonders if there’s subtext under the invitation — he really, really hopes so.

They arrive at their apartment building and reach for the door at the same time. There’s an uncomfortable dance or politeness until finally Katara breaks and walks through the door first. They pad down the hall towards Zuko’s apartment, but Zuko pauses as he goes to put the key in the lock. Through the door he can hear loud gunfire and rowdy cheers — a sure sign that his roommate and several friends have commandeered the television for the night to play video games.

“My place?” Katara suggests.

Zuko follows her down the hall.

“Oh, 3 _G_ ,” Zuko says with exasperation. “I’ve been trying to remember all week.”

Katara turns to look at him, eyes narrowed. 

“You didn’t remember where I lived?”

“No,” Zuko admits sheepishly. “And I tried looking for you all over campus. I must’ve spent ten hours wandering around the library because I’ve seen you there before.”

“I was home,” Katara admits. “I… hoped you might come by at some point, but you never did.”

They both stare at each other as Katara’s door creaks open. They both surge forward at once, meeting against the doorframe in a desperate kiss.

It’s slightly painful as they bump around the darkened apartment, but neither of them seems eager to break apart to find a light switch. Zuko is already shirtless before the front door is all the way closed.

The layout of Katara’s apartment is similar to his, but Zuko scarcely notices as she drags him down the hallway. She shimmies out of her jeans with great speed before she yanks at his belt. They tumble backwards onto the bed, half-naked, their smiles making it difficult to kiss for very long.

“I’ve been thinking about this all week,” Katara admits as she palms him. Zuko groans in pleasure.

“Me too. Oh, _fuck_ , that feels good.”

Katara grins before kissing him again, and they writhe around in the bed. Katara doesn’t have the upper hand for long, however — Zuko manages to get his wits about him and presses open-mouthed kisses up her inner thigh. Soon they’re both entirely naked and Zuko swoops in.

Zuko takes great pride in the whimpering sounds Katara makes as he teases her. Zuko’s self-confidence is shaky in a lot of areas in his life, but he knows for a fact that he is good at this. He had already determined during his last tryst with Katara which of his moves she seemed to like best, so he sets out to repeat them. Before long, her legs are clamping around his head as she writhes against him. His cock is achingly hard at the sight of her, but he continues his work. His own delayed gratification will be all the better for it — watching Katara’s eyes roll back into her head makes him more aroused than he’s ever been in his life.

Zuko has no idea how much time has passed when Katara finally scoots up in bed. Her chest is flushed and her brow shines with a hint of sweat. Zuko feels his stomach tighten at the sight of her all hot and bothered.

“My turn,” Katara growls, pushing him onto his back. 

For a moment, Zuko thinks this will be a repeat of last time, and Katara will hand him a condom so she can ride him. Instead, she slides down so she is eye-to-eye with his cock.

“I guess I should have asked before,” she says hesitantly. “And I know we used a condom, but, uh… anything I need to know about?”

“Oh, uh, no,” Zuko says awkwardly.

“Same,” Katara says.

Then she swallows his entire cock into her mouth and Zuko’s mind goes blissfully blank.

Zuko’s body seems to be reacting without his brain’s input. He’s dimly aware that he’s moaning Katara’s name, and he can see the hint of a grin as she bobs her head up and down. One hand strokes his cock as she moves, while the other toys with his balls underneath. This is a revelation Zuko has heretofore not experienced, and it sends shockwaves of pleasure through his body. Zuko can sense that he is close and he tries to squirm away to avoid it. Katara pauses to lift her head, although her hands still move in their tantalizing rhythm.

“You’re going to stay the night, right?” Katara asks.

“Yeah,” Zuko gasps. “If you want me to.”

“Okay. I’m going to keep blowing you and we can have some more fun later. Sound good?”

Zuko’s eyes must be as wide as dinner plates as he nods eagerly. Katara swoops in again and Zuko groans at the wet heat of her mouth. He doesn’t last much longer, and when he comes he sees white spots dancing above him. All the air is knocked out his lungs, and he watches slightly cross-eyed as Katara sashays out of the room.

She returns to find him still limp on the bed. She giggles at his expression.

“Holy shit,” he says weakly. “That was…”

But there aren’t adequate words to describe just how heavenly he feels right now, so he settles on pulling her in for a kiss. They’re both a little sweaty, and the windows are fogged up from the heat of their bodies. Zuko can taste a hint of himself on her tongue and it stirs up enough energy for lust to flare within him again. Katara pulls away to give him a slight smile as she strokes an errant strand of his hair. Zuko’s heart squeezes at the caress.

Katara leans away to rustle in her backpack on the floor, pulling out a thin laptop.

“Wanna watch Planet Earth for a bit?”

Zuko nods. Katara logs into her computer and pulls up Netflix. She snuggles down under the covers, pressing herself into Zuko’s side.

“Can you see it okay?”

“Yeah,” Zuko confirms. Katara hits play and leans her head into his shoulder.

Truthfully, part of the screen is obscured by Katara’s head, but Zuko really doesn’t mind. He’s watched most of these episodes several times anyway. He just likes having Katara cuddled up next to him.

He realizes too late that watching this show is probably not a good idea. The dulcet tones of David Attenborough’s voice always puts Zuko to sleep. In fact, the night that Katara had come to his apartment, Zuko had been planning on falling asleep on the couch watching TV. The peaceful sounds of nature combined with the warm body curled against him makes Zuko’s eyelids grow heavy. He tries to stay awake, but he’s so relaxed and it’s so warm and soft in this bed…

When he opens his eyes, the room is dark. The nearby alarm clock reads just past four in the morning. Zuko can make out Katara’s form under the blanket, her chest gently rising and falling with each slumbering breath.

Zuko tries to extract himself gently to use the restroom, but when he crawls back into bed, Katara has rolled over to face him. She gives him a sleepy smile that makes Zuko’s heart flop around in his chest.

“Hey,” she whispers.

“Sorry I woke you up,” Zuko says. “And sorry I fell asleep earlier.”

“It’s okay,” Katara replies, stretching out her limbs like a cat. “How awake are you?”

Zuko still feels half-asleep, but Katara’s arm grazes down his side as she stretches. One part of his anatomy is suddenly _very_ awake.

Katara’s eyes flash in the darkness of the room, and she presses forward to kiss him. Zuko hums against her; the slow, sensual kisses they share are both deeply relaxing and thrilling. Zuko can’t decide if he wants to go to sleep or fuck her until he passes out. Eventually, the latter option wins out.

He goes to warm Katara up, but she waves him off, handing him a condom instead.

“You’re good?” Zuko confirms. He’s very eager, but he knows it’s bad form to skip foreplay.

“Yeah,” Katara says in a husky voice. “I was having a very nice dream about you.”

“Oh yeah?” Zuko rasps. “What was I doing?”

In response, Katara slides the covers off of herself and rises up on all fours.

“You were behind me,” she says simply.

Zuko’s mouth goes dry. He scrambles to position himself and slides into her. Katara sighs and almost immediately drops to her elbows.

“Mmm, you feel amazing,” she says. Her face is half-turned towards him, her expression slightly dreamy. Zuko feels impossibly hard at the sight.

Katara sets the pace, slowly rocking her hips against him. He slides in and out of her with a delicious friction, his hands palming her ass. This was not a position he had much experience with — Mai had never liked it very much when they were together — but Zuko had always appreciated the view. Katara’s ass is a sight to behold, and Zuko feels rather dumbstruck watching it bounce. After a minute or so, he places his hands more firmly on her hips and starts to thrust into her with a slightly faster pace. Katara immediately drops her chest onto the mattress, her arms slightly limp at her sides. Her eyes are glassy as she moans in pleasure.

“You like that?” Zuko asks. He supposes this could sound like a sexy question, but he is momentarily concerned by this reaction. Perhaps it’s best to check that her glassy look is actually a good thing.

Katara moans even more loudly.

“Oh, _Zuko_ ,” she sighs. “Don’t ever stop. Oh! Yes, just like that. _Zuko!_ ”

The way she says his name drives him wild. He keeps at the same pace, watching her face contort and her hands fist in the sheets. He thrusts again and again until tension appears between her shoulder blades. She arches upwards, her arms underneath her to lift herself, as she lets out a cry. Zuko slows as she sinks back into the mattress.

“ _Holy shit_ ,” she breathes.

“More?” he asks, a slightly cocky grin plastered on his face.

“Oh, fuck, yes.”

Zuko feels drunk with lust. He’s never made a woman come like this before — well, he’s only slept with one woman, and although he was sure she had been satisfied, she had never been quite so vocal about it. Zuko supposes he shouldn’t be surprised he likes this. After a lifetime of criticism from his father, Zuko was desperate for any external praise and validation he could get. To have someone so eagerly chanting his name, telling him how good he was making her feel, well… Zuko didn’t need to be a psych major to figure out why he liked this so much.

She arches up once more and Zuko feels his legs shake with effort to keep himself upright. Katara cranes her head to get a good look at him.

“You close?” she asks.

“Yes,” he admits. “But I can keep going for you.”

Katara smiles.

“I think it’s my turn to make you crazy,” she says, sliding herself up and down his cock.

Zuko momentarily forgets what to do with himself. It takes all his brainpower just to stay upright, his brain buzzing with pleasure as Katara works his cock. She makes a happy humming noise at the sight of his expression, which has gone slack at the sensory overload. Eventually, some primal part of his brain takes hold, and he grabs her hips again, thrusting wildly for a few seconds before he reaches his release.

Katara lowers herself slowly onto the bed. Zuko, slightly dazed, presses himself on top of her for a moment.

“Oh,” he says, realizing his position. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to squish you.”

“I kind of like it,” Katara admits sheepishly. “Is that weird?”

Zuko pauses for a moment, and lowers himself gently back down onto her back. Katara lets out a little sigh of contentment.

“No,” he says quietly. “It’s nice.”

He doesn’t linger — there are post-sex logistics to take care of — but it really does feel nice to be pressed up against her, feeling the pounding of her heartbeat. Once they are settled comfortably in bed again, Katara curls up against his side, a hand snaking across his chest. It feels very intimate, but for once the intimacy doesn’t scare him. Most people who know his feelings try to use them against him, but somehow he trusts that Katara won’t. Perhaps it is naiveté — he doesn’t really know Katara well, so who is to say she was trustworthy? — but Zuko feels safe with her. He falls asleep again, comforted by the sound of Katara’s deep and even breathing.

This time, he wakes to find sunlight seeping through the crack in Katara’s curtains. He is able to grab his phone from his jeans on the floor — 9:47AM, and a new text from Azula.

_Azula: Updates on your situation? Coffee at Ling’s at 11 on me_

Zuko’s chest feels tight. His relationship with his sister is still fraught with all their childhood baggage, but they’re both trying. It makes him feel a little emotional to have her actually care about his happiness.

After a few minutes, Katara wakes with a yawn.

“Hey,” she says, still burrowed under the blankets. “Sleep okay?”

“Yeah,” Zuko says, smiling at her sleepy expression.

“Want some breakfast?”

“Sure.” He isn’t particularly hungry, but he doesn’t want to leave just yet, and breakfast is as good an excuse as any to stay. As long as it’s not eggs, he can manage to stomach it.

Zuko dresses himself in the same clothes as the night before while Katara tugs on a pair of yoga pants and an oversized sweatshirt. She gives him a rueful smile when she catches him looking.

“Very sexy outfit, I know,” she says.

“I think you look beautiful,” Zuko blurts.

He cringes slightly as the words leave his mouth. It does not escape Zuko that this is the not the first time he has called her beautiful — the first had been right after she undressed in front of him for the first time — and he knows that it is a rather loaded word. It was true, of course, Katara _was_ beautiful. But this was usually a word saved for one’s serious relationship, not someone he had hadn’t even mustered up the courage to formally ask out yet.

Katara, however, blocks Zuko from a hasty escape by leaping into his arms and kissing him with such passion that he has to take a step backwards to not fall over. When she pulls away, her eyes shine with excitement.

“You are the sweetest guy,” she says with a smile. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

Zuko isn’t sure what’s so amazing about speaking the truth, but he settles on echoing her.

“You’re amazing.”

Katara gives him another luminous smile and grabs his hand. Their breakfast is simple — just a bowl of oatmeal for each of them — and their conversation is sparse. Katara claims this is because she is useless at conversing before her morning coffee has kicked in, and Zuko knows he is just generally useless at conversing with pretty girls. Either way, the silence isn’t as awkward as Zuko had feared, and Katara smiles at him a lot. Zuko hopes he doesn’t have anything stuck in his teeth as he grins back at her. 

Zuko lingers as long as possible, insisting on washing their dishes, which Katara seems to approve of. He spends several long minutes psyching himself up until —

“Do you want to go out sometime?”

Zuko turns to look at Katara, surprised.

“Unless you don’t want to,” Katara adds hastily at the look on Zuko’s face. “I just thought you seemed really nice. I’d like to get to know you better. But if this is just sex then —“

“No,” Zuko interrupts. “I mean, yes. I mean… I was going to ask you out.”

Katara smiles.

“Really?”

“Yeah. That’s why I was looking for you all week.”

Katara gives him a sly grin and rises from her chair to stand before him. She leans into him, her face inches from his.

“Is that a yes to a date then?”

“Yes.”

“When do you want to go out?”

“Uh, I’m free tonight?”

Perhaps he should have played it cool and pretended he already had Saturday night plans, but he honestly can’t think of anything that would be better than going on a date with Katara. She kisses him softly and smiles.

“Sounds good to me,” she says. Her hands slides down his torso. “I guess I can be patient and forgo morning sex then.”

“Oh, I don’t put out on the first date,” Zuko says with a grin. “I want to make sure you want me for my personality and not just my body.”

Katara’s laughter fills the kitchen with sunshine warmth. 

“Oh, you should definitely be concerned I’m in it for the wrong reasons,” Katara says happily. “You are super attractive.”

Zuko feels his face go red. He knows he’s in good shape, but most people are put off by his face. He’s overheard more than one girl lament how it was a ‘shame’ he was scarred. But Katarra presses a kiss right over it, winking again.

“But to be honest,” Katara continues, unaware of the jackrabbiting of Zuko’s heart. “I mostly slept with you because you were so nice to me last time.”

Zuko’s brow furrows.

“You came to my door because I had been a jerk to you.”

“Nah,” Katara says. “I came over to prove a point — mostly to myself — and even though I was being a brat, you offered to call me a ride. _And_ you were watching nature shows for fun. I don’t know why, but I find that ridiculously hot.”

“You’re weird,” Zuko says with a tinge of awe to his voice. “I am really into you.”

It feels slightly terrifying to admit this out loud, but it has the exact effect Zuko is hoping for. Katara kisses him insistently, dragging his hands under her sweatshirt and onto her bare breasts. She really does have fantastic breasts — all of her is fantastic — and Zuko considers being slightly late to meet Azula when Katara pulls away with a noise of frustration.

“Gah, I _really_ want to fuck you,” Katara says with regret. “But Sokka and Suki are going to be here soon.”

Zuko gulps. He had forgotten his whole sleeping-with-his-only-friend’s-sister dilemma. 

“We’re going to cheer Aang on at his race,” Katara continues.

“Race?”

“Yeah, he’s running a marathon today.” She catches Zuko’s incredulous expression and laughs “And you think I’m weird! Aang runs marathons for fun. Usually they’re out of town, but this one is pretty close, so we’re going to go watch and then get lunch after. You can come with if you want!”

“I said I’d meet my sister for coffee,” Zuko admits.

“Oh, that’s nice,” Katara says. “Well, I should probably get dressed, so…”

“Right.”

Zuko heads to the door, Katara following behind him. He steps out into the hall and turns back in time for Katara to pull him in for another kiss.

“I’ll see you tonight,” she whispers.

“What’s your number?” he blurts. 

“Oh!” Katara says, flushing slightly. “Right, you probably need that.”

Zuko hands her his phone and she types it in. He sends her a short missive — _hi, Zuko here_ — before he puts it back in his pocket. Katara grins and Zuko can’t resist another kiss. She smells faintly of cinnamon from the oatmeal. Zuko has to remind himself that he promised to meet Azula, and it would be bad form for their sibling civility for him to be late. Still, he can’t resist deepening the kiss a little when Katara sighs against him, clinging to his shirt.

“What the fuck?”

Zuko and Katara spring apart, turning, wide-eyed, to see Sokka and Suki walking towards them. Suki is casting them an apologetic grimace; Sokka looks livid.

“What the fuck, man?” Sokka repeats, glaring at Zuko. “Why are you making out with my sister?”

Before Zuko can respond, Katara strides forward, poking her brother in the chest.

“I can make out with whomever I want!” she shouts.

Sokka looks slightly taken aback by this outburst.

“Uh,” he fumbles, looking between Katara and Zuko. He regains his composure to glare at Zuko again. “It’s still shady you didn’t tell me you liked my sister.”

“I didn’t know she was your sister,” Zuko admits defensively.

“We have the same last name!”

“Um,” Zuko says rubbing the back his head. “I actually don’t know your last name?”

Sokka frowns for a moment and then blinks.

“Huh, I guess I don’t know your last name either.”

Suki and Katara roll their eyes.

“Are you done, Sokka?” Katara says testily.

Sokka narrows his eyes in suspicion.

“Well,” he says finally, “just don’t be a dick to my sister, okay?”

“Zuko has been a perfect gentleman,” Katara says primly. “He walked me home last night, remember?”

“Yes, and somehow ended up in _your_ apartment,” Sokka points out sternly.

Katara flushes slightly, but keeps her head held high.

“It’s none of your business.”

“Hey, I gotta watch out for you!”

“I can watch out for myself!”

“You might want to take off,” Suki says in a stage whisper. “This could take a while.”

Sokka and Katara deflate a bit at this statement. 

“I’ll text you about tonight,” Zuko says quietly to Katara.

“What’s tonight?” Sokka asks.

“Not that it’s any of your business,” Katara says tartly. “But Zuko and I are going on a date.”

“Oh!” The anger evaporates from Sokka’s face. “That’s cool.”

“It is?” Zuko asks, confused by this change in demeanor.

“Yeah. You’re a cool guy. If you want to date my sister, that’s cool with me.”

“But…” Zuko stutters. “You were all freaked out a second ago!”

“Yeah, but now I know you have good intentions. Anyway, we’re gonna go see Aang’s race — wanna come with?”

“I’m meeting my sister,” Zuko says faintly, still surprised at Sokka’s change in attitude.

“Okay! Well, see you later, man. Suki, do you have any snacks?”

“Sokka, we just ate breakfast like, thirty minutes ago.”

“Yeah, that’s why I need a snack.”

Suki gives Sokka a fond eye roll and ushers him inside. She winks at Katara as she passes. Katara takes a deep breath and turns to face Zuko.

“I’m sorry about my nosy brother,” she says grumpily.

“It’s okay,” Zuko says. “I guess it’s nice that he cares so much about you.”

Katara looks slightly annoyed for a moment, and then sighs.

“Well, at least you know what you’re getting into. Definitely can’t have you over if he’s around or he’ll bust down the door trying to defend my honor or something.”

“You can just come over to my place then,” Zuko says with a shrug. “Your honor should be very safe there.”

Katara laughs and rises up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

“Looking forward to tonight,” she says as she pulls away.

“Yeah,” Zuko says. “Me too.”

He makes it to the coffee shop just in time to meet Azula, who is once again at the sunniest table. She takes one look at him and laughs.

“You solved your problem, didn’t you?”

Zuko grins.

“Yeah. I found her.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
